Walking and Walking

"Hehe..."

Xiao Long chuckled, feeling overjoyed. For no other reason than pride in his son: "You little brat, tell me honestly—how did you do it? It's only been a day. How did you rise another star level?"

"How did I do it?"

Xiao Han pretended to ponder before answering, "I don't know either. I only remember going shopping with Cousin Xiao Mei today. As we walked, my cultivation suddenly broke through!"

"You broke through just by walking?"

Looking at Xiao Han, Xiao Long could not help laughing as he scolded, "You little brat, you still—"

"Enough."

Xiao Dingtian suddenly cut Xiao Long off. Stroking his beard with a smile, he said, "It's getting late. We should let my grandson get some proper rest."

Xiao Dingtian had just taken a step when he seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, right, Grandson. If you need anything, be sure to tell us. As long as it is within our means, we will certainly fulfill your request."

"Grandfather, now that you mention it, I really do need something!" Xiao Han looked at Xiao Dingtian with a grin.

"What do you need?" Xiao Dingtian asked delightedly.

"Grandfather, do you have money?" Xiao Han asked.

"Money?"

Xiao Dingtian was slightly taken aback. He had thought Xiao Han wanted cultivation resources. He had not expected something so mundane. Still, since it was what his precious grandson wanted, he asked, "How much do you want?"

"Just give me however much you see fit." Seeing Xiao Dingtian touch his Storage Ring, Xiao Han gave a sly smile and reminded him, "Grandfather, aside from being my grandfather, you are also the Xiao Clan's Third Elder. The amount you give cannot disgrace your esteemed status!"

"Uh..."

Xiao Dingtian looked at Xiao Han in astonishment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. This was practically fleecing his own father.

No, he was fleecing his grandfather!

Yet Xiao Dingtian felt only delight at Xiao Han's cleverness. The hand that had been about to leave the Storage Ring lingered there for a while longer. In the end, he took out three Gold Notes and held them before Xiao Han. "These Gold Notes are worth a total of fifteen hundred Gold Coins. Buy whatever you want yourself!"

"Thank you, Grandfather!" Xiao Han happily accepted the Gold Notes. Then he looked at his father and smiled. "Father, Grandfather has already given me something. Shouldn't you show some generosity as well? After all, I'm your only precious son! My cultivation needs a sum of money right now!"

That was not a lie. Xiao Han needed a great deal of money to raise the proficiency of his combat techniques.

"You little brat, take it!" Xiao Long touched his Ring and handed Xiao Han two golden notes.

Xiao Han took them. Each note bore an amount of one thousand.

"I originally set this aside for you to marry a wife. It seems you won't need it now." Xiao Long did not feel the slightest pain at giving away two thousand Gold Coins. Xiao Han was now a three-star Dou Zhe. On the day of his coming-of-age ceremony, he would surely shine brilliantly. Would Xiao Long still need to worry about finding a daughter-in-law then?

"Thank you, Father." Xiao Han did not stand on ceremony and put away the two Gold Notes.

With three thousand five hundred Gold Coins in hand, he could already raise the Great Strength combat technique to the major mastery realm.

"Alright, get some rest early!"

Xiao Dingtian, Xiao Long, and Chen Susu walked out of Xiao Han's Courtyard House.

Seeing this, Xiao Han suddenly said, "Mother, please stay behind. There are some things I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

Upon hearing Xiao Han's words, Xiao Dingtian and Xiao Long also stopped curiously.

"Grandfather, Father, this concerns only Mother. It is late. You should return and rest," Xiao Han said calmly.

"Uh!"

Xiao Dingtian's heart tightened. For that brief instant just now, they had suddenly felt as though Xiao Han had become a different person.

Xiao Dingtian and Xiao Long merely assumed that Xiao Han had grown up and did not dwell on it. Though curious what Xiao Han wanted to ask, they obediently left his Courtyard House.

Only after Xiao Dingtian and Xiao Long had left did Xiao Han remove the necklace from around his neck and ask, "Mother, when did you plan to tell me about this necklace?"

"Uh..."

Chen Susu's Dai Eyebrows furrowed slightly, her expression grave. Only then did she ask, "Han'er, did you hear something?"

"Not only about this necklace, but also about her!" Xiao Han swept his gaze over the surroundings and said clearly, "You should still be nearby, shouldn't you? My mother is here. By rights, shouldn't you come out and meet your master?"

Master?

Chen Susu's expression grew even more solemn as she stared at Xiao Han.

Whoosh!

As Xiao Han finished speaking, a black figure condensed out of the space beside Chen Susu, as though appearing from thin air.

"Greetings, Master." The Black Robed Person respectfully dropped to one knee before Chen Susu.

Chen Susu said nothing, her gaze remaining fixed on Xiao Han. After a long while, she finally said, "You know everything?"

"Yes."

Xiao Han nodded, raising the necklace in his hand slightly higher. "But I still do not know the story behind this necklace, nor Mother's true identity!"

In the silent night, a breeze drifted past. Mother and son, Chen Susu and Xiao Han, looked at each other for a while.

"Alas..."

Chen Susu sighed, slowly turning around and presenting her back to Xiao Han as she gazed up at the bright moon in the sky. "Do you truly wish to know?"

"Yes." Xiao Han nodded.

"All right. Sooner or later, you were bound to learn these things."

Chen Susu seemed to have made a weighty decision. In a slow, measured voice, she said, "Actually, Chen Susu is not my real name. My surname is Hun, and my given name is Susu."

"Hun Susu?" Xiao Han's heart jolted. His eyes widened as he looked toward the Black Robed Person, deep in thought.

"Yes."

Sure enough, Chen Susu—no, Hun Susu—continued, "I actually came from the Central Continent. That is a stage for the strong. My family is called the Hun Clan, and my grandfather was the Patriarch of the Hun Clan. Originally, I could have lived a carefree life for the rest of my days. But good times did not last."

"When my grandfather passed away, he handed the position of Patriarch to my father. This provoked my younger uncle's dissatisfaction. My younger uncle persuaded another peerless expert within the clan, and they suddenly attacked. My father was gravely wounded, and only through his sacrifice was I able to escape the Central Continent."

"But even so, my younger uncle never gave up hunting me down. Along the way, I was severely injured and fell unconscious. Later, I happened to encounter your father while he was traveling."

"Your father saved me, and we fell in love at first sight. But those assassins still pursued us relentlessly. In the end, although I killed every last one of them, I was struck by the seal of one among them. As a result, my cultivation was sealed."

"Even so, neither your father nor your grandfather looked at me differently. What I never expected was that I was already pregnant when I was struck by the seal. That was precisely why your Qi Sea was blocked from birth."

Having said this, Hun Susu slowly turned around and looked at Xiao Han with relief in her eyes. "But fortunately, your Qi Sea has finally been opened. Otherwise, I fear your mother would have carried this guilt for the rest of her life."

Emotion welled up in Hun Susu's expression as her delicate hand could not help reaching out to touch Xiao Han's cheek.

"Then what about this necklace?" Xiao Han glanced at the necklace in his hand and asked doubtfully.